One of the goals of this blog is to help photographers become better photographers. But we have to admit, we don’t have all the answers. Other photographers do.

Ask any successful photographer how he or she learned their art, and you’ll always hear the same sort of answer: a long list of mentors who taught them how to use light, catch an expression or compose a beautiful image. Yes, you can learn about photography online, from a book and on a course. But you can learn even more by talking to other photographers.

That’s why Flickr’s groups are such useful tools.

There are groups on just about every topic you can imagine, from bees and beekeeping to building pictures with bricks. And they all have three advantages.

First, you can browse the images. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a larger collection of idea-giving pictures on a topic that interests you outside a Flickr group. Many of them even come with lists of equipment and techniques that explain how the photographer took the picture so that you can grow your skills by practicing the same methods.

The discussion boards are vital too. For anyone wondering how to take a particular shot, a question placed here can bring an answer from a top professional or a specialist photographer. It’s not easy to find that sort of access anywhere else, and other people’s questions can also make possible the sort of images that you thought beyond your reach.

And finally, you can start your own group.

If you’ve got tips you want to share — or information you want to collect — there’s no reason why you couldn’t set up your own group and start swapping ideas.

Photographers used to have two or three mentors at the most. These days, you can have as many mentors as you can find in a group. It’s a resource worth using.